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I was thinking about this as I was driving to pick up Special K from preschool. How sometimes the kindness of strangers has gotten me through the hard times. The permanent account thing reminded me of this story that I wanted to tell a long time ago. But I didn't, because I was embarrassed. But it still warms my heart. It cheered me up an hour ago.

My local parents club started a hospital helping hands program shortly after Little T's second hospital stay. A baby Little T's age had leukemia. I'm glad to say she's cured now.

I didn't know any of the parents and it was very freeing. You can always tell when someone makes a meal with love and sometimes those meals literally were the best thing that happened to me that day.

One time a parent packed a little surprise for Special K in a special box with Disney Princess gold-foil chocolate coins, some stickers and a little candy watch. Special K had been acting up that day, unable to express her stress and anxiety about her brother, but she just lit up when she saw that package. "Is that for me?" she squealed. My eyes tear up when I think of it even now. Those gold coins inspired her for a couple weeks, because she got one at the end of the day if she was a good girl. It was even her idea! And by then the immediate crisis was over.

How for the past week I've just wanted to be happy, and happiness has eluded me. And the sunlight glinted off the trees and the sky was a perfect blue and suddenly I was happy. Before Little T was born, I was happy or at least cheerful most of the time. Life just seems too inherently funny not to laugh at it most of the time. Rushing to the ER and being in the hospital does have its hilarious moments, at least for someone with my sense of humor. Unfortunately several weeks of dispensing the same medicines over and over again and being sick with a lingering cold virus just isn't funny, at least not to me. The same jokes get old. Maybe a greater comedian than can find fresh ones. But at last days of sun after days of rain, and I remember that at some point I will get over this cold. And I need to stick my head over a steaming bowl of water. And I do find that funny. I find the idea that pharmeuceutical companies have spent billions in researching the best cold remedies, but this steam is the best thing for me. It makes me smile.

So how about you give me more smiles and share your stories about the kindness of strangers, or if you like what you've done for a stranger?

When I was pregnant with my oldest, we were dirty poor and living in Napa Valley while DH went to college. I went on unpaid maternity leave and we were down to loose change and very little in the pantry. We took the little money we had and got in the car to drive down the mountain and buy what we could to get us through the week. A guy stopped us as we pulled out of the parking spot and had a huge box of food and drinks. He said that he knew we were in a tough spot and wanted to help out. There was enough food in there to get us through the next two weeks. I don't know who he was or how he knew (we didn't have anyone there that really knew us) but he blessed us more than he could know.

I try to do raok whenever I go out. I try not to hang around because gratitude embarasses me (thanks mom!). I always tell them to pay it forward and not back to me if I do get caught.